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Monday, February 11, 2013

Zoya PixieDust Swatches, Part 1

I have something super exciting to share with you all! I received my Zoya PixieDust polishes in the mail a while ago, and I've been dying to try them out. I finally found some time to swatch them all, but I broke it up into two posts since I took so many photos! I took them with and without topcoat to show the difference.

First up, I went for the "cooler" colors, and will post the warmer colors next. From left to right they are Nyx, London, and Dahlia. They're really gorgeous in the bottle and a lot more sparkly than I thought they would be. The tops of the bottles are also slightly matte, not shiny like usual Zoya bottles.

First up is Dahlia:

Dahlia, without topcoat

I wasn't sure how I would like this one since it's so dark. It reminds me of Zoya Storm in the bottle, but the glitter isn't holographic. I was surprised to see that it dries pretty matte. It dried lighter than it appears in the bottle, making it almost a super dark gray instead of black.

Dahlia, without topcoat

The texture also wasn't super rough like I was expecting. I hadn't tried any other textured polishes before this, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about it. I really like it though! It's much smoother to the touch than it looks. It almost feels like a nail file or pretty smooth sandpaper.

Dahlia, with topcoat

I used two coats of Dahlia, then I added a topcoat. I used one coat of Seche Vite for my topcoat. You can see that it returned Dahlia to a darker black. It looks more like it appears in the bottle when a topcoat is applied. The topcoat added so much depth that my camera had trouble focusing on this one!

Dahlia, with topcoat

It's almost like galaxy nails! It looks very spacey to me with all of the glitter on black. It's truly gorgeous with or without topcoat.

Next up is London:

London, without topcoat

I really like gray polishes. All of mine are flat cremes though, none of them are sparkly. This one is pretty sparkly, so it's unique to me! The texture almost makes it look like concrete.

London, without topcoat

London also dried pretty matte, but it isn't as apparent since this one is gray. It only got a little lighter as it dried. I use three thin coats of London. It's pretty sheer since it's so light. Two coats almost did the trick, but I added three just to be safe.

London, with topcoat

I added a layer of Seche Vite to this one too. It made it slightly darker again, since it got rid of the matte effect. It also smoothed it out almost entirely. The sparkle and the depth of these polishes really makes them worthwhile either way!

London, with topcoat

Lastly, Nyx:

Nyx, without topcoat

Nyx is somewhat of a bluish periwinkle. I really like this color. This one is also very sparkly, but pretty sheer since it's a lighter color. I used three thin coats for full coverage, but two may also work if you apply more than I do.

Nyx, without topcoat

I was surprised at how easily these polishes applied - all of them! They all have pretty much the same formula, just different colors. They're a bit of a jelly since they're sheer and have so much depth to them, but they cover very well. I'm sure all of the glitter and gritty pieces inside also help when it comes to coverage!

Nyx, with topcoat

Nyx glossed up very nicely with a coat of Seche Vite. It made this one appear a bit darker again, and smoothed it out completely. I'm really thinking that this one is my favorite out of these three!

Nyx, with topcoat

I really love these polishes! I love the colors and how much sparkle they have. The texture wouldn't be as fun without the glittery effect. They're also not as rough as I thought they would be, so I really enjoy the textured look and feel even though I typically love smooth, glossy nails. Removal of these polishes was also much easier than I expected. I used cotton balls soaked in polish remover, but the polish slid right off and wasn't a hassle like normal glitter polishes.

They also look wonderful with or without topcoat, so you can enjoy the textured feel, or still enjoy the sparkly colors if you're not into the whole textured look. I can't really decide if I prefer them with or without topcoat, but I think I like them without it more! The matte effect was certainly a pleasant surprise without topcoat too.